McCollum puts focus on running game

Mike Ramirez sprints upfield for the Cowboys as McCollum plays Memorial last Thursday.

Mike Ramirez sprints upfield for the Cowboys as McCollum plays Memorial last Thursday.

Photo: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

Photo: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

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Mike Ramirez sprints upfield for the Cowboys as McCollum plays Memorial last Thursday.

Mike Ramirez sprints upfield for the Cowboys as McCollum plays Memorial last Thursday.

Photo: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

McCollum puts focus on running game

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Outside of the crazy way McCollum edged Memorial last week at Harlandale Memorial Stadium with a safety that was the difference in a wild 36-35 victory, Cowboys first-year coach Juan Hinojosa couldn't be more pleased with how it played out.

The Cowboys trailed on four separate occasions, but each time they answered with a ball-control offense fueled by the run-oriented Slot-T.

The result? The Cowboys churned out 291 yards on 51 rushes. Running back Mike Ramirez had 156 yards on 25 rushes and quarterback Ralph Vidal had 127 yards on 10 attempts.

The Slot-T is a new offense for the Cowboys, and it's a difficult one to learn right away. It mixes in timing, finesse and smash-mouth elements on the offense line all at once.

“I'm a Slot-T guy,” Hinojosa said. “I like to control the line of scrimmage. Our offensive line is getting better and better every week. It's easy to get the running back to hit the holes when the holes are there.”

Hinojosa wants to see that kind of production when McCollum plays at Uvalde on Friday.

The Cowboys improved to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in District 29-4A play.

McCollum turned away what had been one of area's top stories - the resurgence of Memorial football. Memorial entered the game 3-1 and is having its best season since 2005.

The Minutemen appeared to have the game locked up after McCollum mishandled a snap on an extra point try that kept them in the lead, 35-34, with 5:38 remaining. However, on Memorial's following possession, a snap on a punt sailed past the end zone for a safety, giving McCollum a 36-35 victory.

The Cowboys returned to the win column after back-to-back losses on the road.

“When we got ready to play, we talked about this being our house, and we had to make sure we defended it,” Hinojosa said. “We put that on our backs this week, and we knew we had to execute because Memorial was going to come after us.”

The 36 points was a season-best for the Cowboys.

McCollum was limited to a touchdown each time in losses to Highlands and Floresville entering the game. Hinojosa liked the way his team responded after those tough defeats.

“We showed a lot of resiliency this week to play as hard as we did,” Hinojosa “We are establishing our program, and we are hoping every game we build on it.”